The Pokemon Games
by RedXGreenFTW
Summary: Red is forced down from Mt. Silver after years of training by strangely overpowered Rockets only to find that Kanto has changed greatly, and that Team Rocket is stronger and more powerful than ever before. He ends up reuniting with some old friends, but not the way he would have liked to see them again...


Red woke up, hot and drenched in sweat. Even with no blankets and lying shirtless, he was still too warm for comfort. He should feel fine. He should feel happy to wake up in a nice, warm bed, with the aroma of bacon coming from the kitchen downstairs. But he couldn't be happy, not even in his own room that he hasn't slept in for years. His bed was musty from misuse. His computer in the corner was clearly outdated. His video game console—he didn't even remember what it was called—probably didn't even work anymore. But none of that has mattered to him in years. This room hasn't mattered to him in years.

Red shouldn't even be here, and he wouldn't be if he wasn't forced to go home for the night. He didn't belong here in his old home, in Pallet Town, anymore. He should be training at the summit of Mt. Silver, battling only the strongest of trainers who dared endure the dangers of the mountain just to face him. That's where he, a true champion, belonged. But he was supposed to spend one last night before he went out to face his death, as if it had some sort of sentimental meaning to him.

Red wasn't very caught up on current events so he did not know the details, but his mother had explained that there was to be a game. Many trainers had been chosen to take place, and they were supposed to battle with randomly selected Pokemon. To the death. That was all his mother was supposed to tell him, but she elaborated. Turns out Team Rocket hasn't been dead all these years. And they took over the Silph Co. building yet again. Only this time, Team Rocket's power grew from there. And apparently their boss, Giovanni, was now more powerful than ever before.

Red had been completely unaware of this, and it was too late to try to take down the boss now. When a couple of Rocket grunts had shown up at the summit of Mt. Silver to take Red home, Red had of course challenged them. And he lost. It was a huge slap to the face, but Red kept himself quiet and collected. For some reason, even the average Joe Rocket grunt was a champion. Meanwhile basically no one but other champions had any power to spare at all. Something was up, and Red intended to get to the bottom of it. But only if he would be alive in a few weeks or so.

Besides, he was one of few who could put a stop to this madness. Gyms had been shut down and gym leaders had either devoted themselves to Giovanni, were executed, or had gone into hiding. All the champions were missing other than Red, but then again Mt. Silver could count as going into hiding. And any and all Pokemon trainers were registered in some list. And of that list, several or so were chosen to take part in these 'Pokemon Games' to battle to the death. Every year from now on.

That's what Giovanni's doing with his newfound power. But why? To eliminate all other powerful trainers who weren't on his side? To keep the trainers in line? Is it for the sake of money somehow? Red guessed that those were all true. He took a five minute cold shower before he got dressed in the same outfit he always wore, and by instinct Red reached a hand down to the floor only to pause. It was at this time Pika would climb up his arm and stand on his shoulders or rest on his head. But Pika wasn't here anymore. Neither were Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax or Espeon.

Team Rocket took his Pokemon away from him after he lost to them on Mt. Silver. From that moment on, Red really felt unsafe. He was actually nervous around those Rocket grunts after that. Well at first he was fine and brave, there was a bit of hope then. But after leaving Mt. Silver and being dragged through an overly well taken care of Viridian City to a rather poor looking Pallet Town and seeing how everyone looked at him pitifully or avoided eye contact, Red was beginning to feel more and more afraid. He scowled as he stared at the floor, hand still outstretched.

Viridian City was Giovanni's hometown, so it would make sense that everything was just perfect there. But Pallet Town was horrible. The grass was dead and children no longer played outside. Most kids were picking through trash if not hiding indoors and peering out closed windows. The Rattata and Pidgey were unhealthy looking as ever, and scampered around town rather than just outside of it. Red had noticed much of the forests outside were cut down. Anyone he saw outside looked much thinner than he remembered and everyone looked too old and tired.

Red stood up straight and balled his hand into a fist. His own mother was the worst of all. She was pale and bony, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked a decade older with her new wrinkles and her eyes weren't as bright as they once were. When Red had arrived home yesterday, his mother tried to cover her arms with long sleeves. But Red still saw bruises. There was also a long, narrow scar trailing from just below her ear to her collar bone that she had tried to hide from Red with her hair. But Red noticed that too. Red didn't know what the hell was wrong with the world right now, but he knew that Team Rocket had wrecked his hometown and hurt his mother. And that was where he drew the line.

Red didn't know what he was going to do or how, but he would get Giovanni and all of Team Rocket for this. For his mother. Red sighed in frustration as he made his way downstairs into the living room on the ground floor. Though his bedroom had remained the same, the rest of the house had changed. The TV was at least 12 inches smaller. The carpet was a cheap, woolly rug now. The sofa had been replaced with pillows. In the kitchen, the appliances were much older and the faucet in the sink had no water.

The dining room table was a cracked one covered in carvings of initials and the chairs were now rickety stools that could hardly support a person's weight. The fact that both Red and his mother were fairly underweight was the only reason they weren't already broken. As soon as Red was downstairs, his mother forced a smile on her sad face. It must have been a long time since she has smiled; she couldn't even pretend to. It was as if someone had plastered a smile onto her grim expression. "Morning sweety." His mother said quietly.

Red tried to ignore the fact that her voice was raspy and he only nodded his head. His mother may try to pretend to be happy, but Red wouldn't even bother faking. Not even for her. "Here, sit down." Red's mother said, carefully setting a plate of bacon and eggs down on the table. Red noticed that his mother sat down without her own plate, and he gave her a quizzical look. "Oh, I already ate." His mother lied. Red didn't buy it one bit. Red sat down and pushed the plate over to her and offered her his fork.

"Red, it's okay, you need to…" Red's mother stopped in her sentence when she saw her son staring at her, silently asking her, 'When was the last time you had a meal?' Red's mother only bit her cheek to hold back tears, and she continued to hide behind a smile. She offered her son a piece of bacon, and Red accepted it. He was pretty hungry anyway, but that was all he would eat. The rest was for his mother. No doubt this meal was courtesy of Team Rocket. Red's mother probably ate this much over the course of a few days living in conditions like this.

"So about the Games, Red… I told you a bit about them yesterday, but I'm supposed… I should tell you the rules again. Twenty four trainers just like you have been chosen, so you might recognize a few of them…" Red's mother went silent and she bit her cheek again, hard. It was a minute before she spoke again. "You'll all be taken to a random location; a forest, a desert, a mountain… anywhere. And there you'll all be given a Pokemon to battle with. And when…

"W-when you win a battle; you… the other trainer has no Pokemon for protection. And then you…" Red's mother bit her cheek too hard and the tangy taste of blood filled her mouth, and she let out a sob. She gently shook as she tried to contain her tears, only to quietly cry out again. She couldn't stop the flow of tears now. She was hoping to hold it in at least until Red was gone. She didn't want him to see her like this; she was supposed to be the strong parent. She bit her knuckle and tried to be quiet.

Red was never good with words, so he couldn't possibly say anything that could reassure his mother. Not that words would be of any use in times like these. Red silently stood up and embraced his mother for the first time in years. It was actually the first time he had felt the touch of another human in years, and he couldn't even remember the last time he ever had physical contact with another human being. Holding his mother like this almost made him want to cry. He couldn't remember the last time he had hugged her, and this may be the last time he can hug her at all.

"I love you, Red, I love you so much…" Red's mother sniffled as she hugged him back. Red didn't dare say 'I love you too', for fear that he would start crying as well if he uttered a word. From outside a loud siren could be heard going off, and then there was absolute silence. Red and his mother were frozen in their embrace, and after a few moments his mother mechanically pulled away and couldn't bear to look her son in the eyes. "I'm not to go with you… but I'll be there. Goodbye, Red…" his mother whispered.

Just then two Rocket grunts barged in the house without knocking, slamming the door against the wall, which stirred up dust and nearly broke the door off its hinges. Red narrowed his eyes at the Rockets. They were about to grab his arms, but Red snatched them away and glared at the two of them. He would not show them any compassion or weakness. Especially not in front of his mother. Red looked over his shoulder as the Rockets escorted him out the door, and he only nodded his head at his mother, who watched him being forced to leave.

Oh how Red just wanted to punch the daylights out of the Rockets. But no doubt they had crazy strong Pokemon, or at least one with a pungent Sleep Powder to knock him out until they're at wherever it was they were going. Red observed his hometown as they went. The air was no longer fresh and unpolluted; it smelled of dirt and there was a distinct taste of blood in the air. Red certainly hoped that it wasn't truly what he thought it was. Strange enough, there were no children hiding behind windows or picking through trash, and no adults were out either. In fact, it was currently a ghost town.

But Red soon found that everyone was waiting by Route 1. The crowds were split in two, forming a straight path to the route where a limo awaited. That was very strange, as vehicles in general were a rarity in Kanto. Along with many forests being cut down, most routes were also paved now. As Red was escorted to the limo, he glanced over the faces of the crowd around him. They were all citizens of Pallet Town, dressed nicer than usual. Today must be some sort of special farewell before Red is sent to who knows where.

Waiting at the door of the limo was Professor Oak, who wore a simple lab coat as usual. Red couldn't help but notice that Oak's neck was burned and there were scars on his hands. What the hell were the Rockets doing to everyone? "Good luck." Was all Professor Oak said to Red before opening the door. Red was about to reluctantly step into the limo when he heard his name being screamed from behind. His mother was running toward him, crying and screaming his name. She stopped screaming when the Rockets let her near him, and she hugged her only child one last time.

"Red, please, please come home after it's all over, please—" Red's mother sobbed, holding him tightly in her arms before a Rocket forcefully pulled her away from him. Red was so shocked he didn't have time to hug her back or anything, and he could only watch his mother scream and cry as she was held back. Her face was the last thing he saw before he was forced into the limo, and the door was shut. The windows were painted black and he couldn't see a thing outside.

"I thought you would've escaped." A voice said, startling him. Red turned in his seat and saw both Green and Blue sitting in the limo as well. Blue looked oddly nervous and Green had an open bottle of wine in his hand. Red gave Green a quizzical look. "Yeah I drink, no big deal. I'm not a little kid anymore, Red. So how the hell did they get to you? I thought you would've hid away like the elites or something. Or buried yourself in snow to save yourself from the hell we're about to endure." Green said before taking another gulp of the wine in his hand.

Red said nothing, and he only stared at Green. He never would have thought Green would ever drink, but it's not like Green is the only person who's changed recently. "I get it, I get it. They kicked your ass like they did to everyone else. I know. Same here. Looks like we're both on the same level again. Heh, almost like when we were rivals, only this time we've gotta kill each other…" Green mumbled as he emptied what remained of the wine bottle. Green snapped at the driver and demanded more alcohol, and he muttered something incoherent when the driver said they were all out.

"I was hoping they wouldn't get you." Blue said. Red looked over at her, and he couldn't help but notice that her usually perfect hair was a bit of a mess. It looks like she's been crying, too. "You know, I just sort of hoped that one of us would be alright. Being friends and all." Blue said, faking a smile. Green scoffed. "Hey pesky girl, there's no such thing as friends anymore, alright? We're gonna be freaking fighting to the death. If you wanna be friends or some shit, you're not gonna last five seconds where we're going." Green snapped, just a bit drunk.

Blue stopped smiling and looked down at her lap. Red narrowed his eyes at Green. There was no need to be a douche at a time like this. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just being realistic. If you two don't wanna face the facts, then fine. I'll be alive and you won't be." Green snapped, lying down on the row of seats. Red went over to him and punched him square in the face, making Blue let out a yelp. Green sat up and rubbed his nose. "You wanna go, little cunt!?" Green yelled, tackling Red to the floor of the vehicle. Blue was yelling at them to stop as they started wrestling on the floor.

The fight was immediately stopped when two Rockets entered the limo and pulled Red and Green off of each other and held them back. "Absolutely no fighting before the games! Doing so will be a violation to the Code of Giovanni! Save it for the games!" the Rockets said over and over until Red and Green stopped flailing. They sat down in their seats and calmed down, but still glared at each other. The limo at last started moving, and Red rolled down the window to see what was outside. "What a view, eh?" a Rocket grunt chuckled.

What a view indeed. Forests had been demolished, the grass was dead and the dirt paths had become paved roads. There were no wild Pokemon to be seen. It was a long shot from the beautiful Route 1 Red had traversed when he started his Pokemon journey. Oh how times have changed. "The trees were cut down because they're valuable resources. The roads were paved for convenience. At least all the weak Pokemon are out of here too, they were annoying." A Rocket grunt said. Red scowled and closed the window, unable to face the horror any longer.

The limo stopped much sooner than Red had anticipated, however, and Red couldn't help but open the window out of curiosity. Then he saw the limo had stopped in Viridian City, where the crowds around the limo were much larger than in Pallet Town. And the people here weren't so afraid. They were cheering. The buildings and everything was in excellent condition and it was clear to see that Viridian City was well taken care of. But why did they stop here?

"Oh no…" Blue said, rolling down her own window, appearing to be dreading something. Red looked out the window again, and soon felt the same way Blue did. There, being escorted by four Rockets, was Yellow. Her straw hat was missing and her hair was down, which was a very different look. Her clothes were filthy and torn, and she stared at the ground as she walked. Red felt his heart stop. No, not Yellow, anyone but her…

Yellow was forced into the limo and she was shocked to see the three of them there, especially Red. "They… they even got you?" Yellow whispered to Red. She had clearly been crying earlier, and her eyes were still red. "Hey, glad you could join the party." Green muttered, leaning back in his seat. Red had to fight the urge to punch Green again; he didn't want to act violent in front of Yellow. The blonde sat next to Red and stared down at her feet. Red didn't know what he could say or do, but somehow he just wanted to make Yellow feel better. To make her believe that everything will be alright.

But that would only be a lie. Nothing was alright anymore. Maybe instead of lying, Red could reassure Yellow somehow. Remind her that she's not alone. Red's hand reached over and took Yellow's in a firm, comforting grip. Yellow looked up at him and Red forced a smile, something he thought he forgot how to do. The limo was off again, and the ride wasn't as silent as it was before, as Yellow was full of questions. "Where are we going? What's happening? Where are my Pokemon? Why are we here?" Yellow asked.

Her questions only earned her a rude 'Shut up' from one of the Rockets, and she looked down at her feet again. "We're going to Saffron City. We'll be there for a few days before… the games." Blue answered for her. Nothing else was said during the ride, and the silence was consuming. Yellow was fighting back her tears. Blue bit her lip and fidgeted slightly in her seat. Green had fallen asleep, but by no means looked restful. Red glared at the floor and bit his cheek. The ride took about an hour, and Green nearly hit the Rocket who woke him up.

The four trainers exited the limo and were surrounded by crowds behind velvet ropes as camera flashes nearly blinded them. What the hell was going on? What were these people doing? The four trainers were dragged into a building that they had no time to see the outside of, and found themselves surrounded by Rockets. And right in front of them stood the boss himself. "Fellow trainers, I welcome you to Team Rocket's new industrial building. I hope you enjoy your time here before you're all sent off to partake in the Pokemon Games. Please, come this way and meet the other trainers who will also be participating." Giovanni himself said to them.


End file.
